Salisbury School: Admissions Blog

At the 2018 Independent Educational Consultant Association conference, Dr. Jean M. Twenge presented her findings that were published in her book, iGen, Why Today’s Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy-and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood. The statistics she shares are remarkable and concerning. We all have read similar research.  Just recently, one of our boarding school colleagues led an excellent, similarly themed workshop at the annual TABS conference. Obviously, this topic is “front of mind” with educators right now.

As the school year comes to a close and our spring athletes enter the final weeks of their season with playoff hopes and graduation on the horizon, I can’t help but recall my own memories of the nervous, excited energy that brewed throughout my senior spring  lacrosse season.  I can hear my coaches’ voices.  To this day, their messaging remains some of the strongest and most valuable I’ve received. Their wisdom, their praise, their criticism and their guidance; their words were not just applicable to the game, but to life.

We’ve all been there. Your history teacher assigns you a topic, you spend a week or so in the library researching, and you write a paper with a well-developed thesis, making sure your citations are correct and your grammar, spelling, and punctuation are on point. You turn the paper in and after a few days, you get it back with a grade. The teacher moves on to the next thing, and, while you surely developed your skills during the process, it’s not long before the paper is a distant memory other than its place in the grade book and, perhaps, the bottom of a backpack. That’s usually the end of it, but it doesn’t have to be. 

The average American teen has 150 followers on Instagram, and 18% of teens have over 300 followers. But, how many of those followers are individuals these teenagers are truly connected to? With how many of those followers do teenagers have trusted and valued relationships?

Salisbury School was founded and built on what was once a family owned, hard-working farm in the heart of New England and the western Connecticut hills.  We can imagine that our founders and those who worked the soil before us would be proud that, as a top-ranked boys boarding school in the twenty first century, our “north star” simply remains "character."  The words "Salisbury Gentleman" and "Esse Quam Videri" mean as much today...albeit they seem more counter culture than ever.

Considering a boarding school option can be an emotionally difficult decision for both parents and students.  Parting with family and friends and establishing new friendships doesn't come easily to everyone.  So why even consider making such sacrifices?  What is it about the boarding school experience that can complement your educational formation so well?  Here we take a look at the value of the boarding environment using Salisbury as an example.

"An extra year of school?"

In a supportive and engaging single-sex environment, students establish a foundation for making responsible decisions, forge healthy relationships and step out of their comfort zone to explore their full potential both inside and outside of the classroom.   

Renowned educators and psychologists have published volumes on the value of a single-sex education. While young men can and do excel in many types of educational institutions, schools designed for boys nurture confidence and inspire growth, while fostering academic success and the development of a young man of character in a balanced and supportive setting.   

Numerous factors will be taken into account when choosing a secondary school for your son; size, curriculum offerings, athletic prowess, academic support, school culture.  But no characteristic is more fixed than a school's location.